Leaving Sunday for a birthday trip London and Amsterdam where I plan to spend a fortnight dancing my arse off to some proper club music instead of that hip-hop shite that’s played here. I cannot wait!! Any leads where to go would be most welcome.

I agree with all of you!!! damn commercial music wasteland

Living in SoCal it’s all top 40 and hip-hop. Even the “alternative” stations are owned by Clear Channel and have a limited playlist. There is ONE decent show, “Big Sonic Chill” late nights on 94.5 FM that plays what is considered edgy here but is old hat in UK and Europe, i.e Massive Attack, Faithless, Sigur Ros. Instead I listen to various Euro-based channels and download shite from the internet.

You once mentioned Yoav in a blog post and I damn near fell over… only because NO-one I know here has heard of him. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Wow you’ve got such DIFFERENT music!” because I’m 45 and don’t listen to smooth jazz or Top 40.

Yea.. different as in good!!

Don’t worry, Trent Reznor’s on the case.

Now then: Black Eyed Peas. They do that one about how it’s allegedly going to be a Good, Good Night, yeah? I guarantee that no one who taps their foot to that atrocity has ever managed to be even slightly remotely close to nearly being fun to be around. Not even accidentally.

Now, back to crushing the downtrodden. Tra la la, la la…..

And Jimmy, no. I spend most of my time clasping my binoculars up that tree outside your house.

It’s a steeper price in comparison to iTunes though.

Dan

Thing is, Hugo, I’d be happy enough to be given a choice on which choons to legally obtain … problem is, the only readily available ones are those sure-fire, pointlessly bland “hits” that give my ears the measles.

I find myself paying for songs from up-and-coming Irish bands, more than anything else. And of course they’re the ones I’m most likely to see live, too. How the hell do I support obscure or up-and-coming artists from outside Ireland if I can’t buy their music legally and can’t see them in concert? Promote them by copying their music for friends who I think will enjoy them too? Spread the word? “Spreading the word” isn’t something that immediately clinks in an artist’s pocket.

“I’m hoping someone come us with a reasonable (and realistic) compromise that both enables sharing–and compensates the musician.”

This is the ideal, isn’t it? I’m not bright enough to figure out what it is, though. And Songwraith raises a good point; if the future is in live performances, where does that leave the composer, or those tech geniuses who work behind the scenes?

And no more pints for you, Mr. Bastard, at least not until we hear another of your impromptu cover versions of Doncha Wish Yer Ould Doll Was Hawt Like Me?